Cutnpaste: - Manny Acosta, Gary Carter Update, Mets 2012 Closer, Retro Ratliff, Blocking The Yanks

Michael Baron: For most of the month, or really, most of the time since Francisco Rodriguez was dealt to the Brewers, I’ve said it’s been a time of learning about the current pieces in the Mets bullpen. It hasn’t been so much about finding out who these players are so much as it’s been about learning who they aren’t. In the case of Acosta, there has been a lot of growth with him as a player this season. Having said that, I think it’s clear he isn’t consistent enough to close on a regular basis. However, Acosta has most definitely proven he can be a very good setup man and a guy who could be mixed-and-matched in the seventh and eighth innings, depending on the matchups. While nothing is set in stone, I expect him to not just be back next season but to figure prominently in that role. Since June 28, Acosta has pitched to a 1.89 ERA in 38 innings. - http://www.metsblog.com/2011/09/25/what-to-make-of-manny-acosta

Medical staff treating Hall of Fame catcher Gary Carter for cancerous brain tumors discovered "an abnormal and unusual spot" on his right temple, his daughter Kimmy Bloemers wrote in the family's online journal Sunday night. He was immediately dispatched to get a biopsy. "When I saw the look on my dad's face, I just wanted to cry," Bloemers wrote. "This journey has been so emotional when there has been just one thing after the next that dad has to conquer. Dad did not complain; he just had look of sadness. I really hate that dad has to go through such a tough road. Dad got the biopsy and actually had several spots removed in various places. We hope to find out the results soon." - http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/7021281/hofer-gary-carter-suffers-setback-cancer-battle

 The Rays took the much-maligned Kyle Farnsworth and turned him into an effective closer this season. I wonder, if someone studied the issue deeply, if relief pitchers are actually more effective working as a closer than as a setup man. Are the best relief pitchers used as closers because they’re the best relievers, or is there something about the usage pattern that makes closers the best relievers? Because the closer role is the only relief role in history that has a regular usage pattern associated with it, and there might be something to that. I guess the point is that the Mets might be better off signing a non-closer on the cheap, sticking him in the ninth, and then watching him transform into an elite reliever. Maybe it’s just the usage pattern. - http://www.patrickfloodblog.com/2011/09/26/the-search-for-a-closer/#comment-3367

 June 18, 2008 - OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Sean Ratliff homered and Cord Phelps tripled in Stanford's four-run fifth inning, and the Cardinal ousted top-seeded Miami from the College World Series with an 8-3 victory Wednesday night. The Cardinal (41-23-2) advanced to the Bracket 1 finals against Georgia, needing to beat the Bulldogs twice to return to the best-of-three championship round for the second time since 2003. Ratliff's 22nd homer of the season and fourth in 10 NCAA tournament games ended Miami starter Enrique Garcia's night after 4 1-3 innings. Garcia (7-3) had worked at least five innings in eight of his nine previous starts, but was tagged for five runs on eight hits - the last being Ratliff's high fly into the stands in right-center. - http://www.cstv.com/sports/m-basebl/stories/061908aaf.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+cstv%2Fheadline-rss+%28CSTV+Headlines%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

The last time the Mets blocked a minor league team from coming into the Tri-State Area it led to the wildly successful Long Island Ducks and the Atlantic League. Seventeen years later the Mets play the baseball grinch again by blocking the Scranton Yankees from playing their 2012 International League home schedule at Bears & Eagles Riverfront Stadium in Newark. This time, however, I don’t believe baseball in Newark will have a happy ending. Newark baseball has a rich tradition that dates back to 1902. There were the Newark Indians, Newark Pepper of the Federal League, and the Newark Eagles of the Negro National League. Effa Manley was their owner and she was the first woman to own and operate a professional baseball team. The current Newark Bears edition, which plays in the independent Can-Am League, is a spinoff of the Yankees minor league affiliate of the same name that existed from 1926 to 1949. - http://nybaseballdigest.com/?p=40312

Cutnpaste: Jeff Diehl. 2012 Rotation, Ruben Tejada, Bobby Parnell, The Kid

9-19-11: - link  - Jeff Diehl, C: Drafted in the 23rd round from high school in Rhode Island, Diehl signed too late to play so we have no stats to look at, but he qualifies as someone to watch in '12. He's considered raw but promising, with a strong arm, plenty of bat speed, and good power potential. His $135,000 bonus could be a real bargain if he reaches his maximum potential.

Given the organization's limited financial flexibility this winter, there's not a whole lot the Mets can do to revamp their rotation. They expect Santana to be healthy and hope he can again be an ace -- short of that, they are rooting for him at least to give them some consistent innings. Though rumors of the Mets non-tendering Mike Pelfrey may swirl this winter, I suspect the team will offer Pelfrey a contract simply because he is their best bet to deliver 200 innings. Jon Niese will be back and I'd expect more of the same from him. Dillon Gee will also be back and, the team hopes, more consistent. And I expect the Mets to sign a relatively cheap starter to fill out their rotation, a la Chris Capuano and Chris Young. Perhaps even Capuano himself will return on a less incentive-laden deal, if the money is right. - http://mlb.mlb.com/news/article.jsp?ymd=20110919&content_id=24917188&vkey=news_nym&c_id=nym&partnerId=rss_nym

9-20-11: - http://www.newsday.com/sports/baseball/mets/mets-hope-reyes-tejada-combo-is-a-keeper-1.3183457 - Tejada is listed at 5-11, 185 pounds, but in reality, he's well under in both cases. That doesn't mean he won't generate the power Collins speaks of at some point. Dustin Pedroia, after all, is officially 5-9, 180 pounds -- again, an exaggeration -- and he has 20 homers through 150 games this season. Tejada's learning curve, however, won't be measured by how far he hits the ball. What the Mets have noticed most from him this season has been his selectivity at the plate and an ability to hit with two strikes, a fear that young players must overcome. Tejada has a .335 on-base percentage with two strikes; a year ago, it was .272.

It’s one thing to throw 96 to 100 miles per hour. It’s another to do it along with a killer slider or nasty hook. Parnell gets hitters to swing-and-miss at his slider 41 percent of the time. That sounds good and it does rank well. But the really good relievers do better. Kimbrel, League, Walden, Hanrahan, and Bard all get hitters to miss on at least half of their sliders. How many times did it seem like Parnell was about to finish off a hitter, only to give up a hit? More than a few. He’s given up 28, twice as many as last season, but hasn’t gotten twice as many outs to go with it. - http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/35051/in-depth-whats-kept-parnell-down

Gary Carter's battle with cancerous brain tumors has taken much of his energy, but the Hall of Fame catcher was able to briefly help coach his Palm Beach Atlantic University baseball team this past week. Carter was due to begin taking a second, higher-dosage round of chemotherapy pills Monday night, but his white-blood-cell count was too low, his daughter Kimmy Bloemers wrote in an online family journal to which ESPNNewYork.com has been granted access. "There is no doubt that dad is fighting an extremely difficult battle," Bloemers wrote. "He is exhausted, sad at times, unmotivated and frustrated that his body won't move like it used to. However, there are moments where we will see dad laugh, smile and show that determined attitude to win. - http://espn.go.com/new-york/mlb/story/_/id/6995672/gary-carter-attends-practice-palm-beach-atlantic-university-team